


cradle me, i'll cradle you

by somehowunbroken



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-06-27 23:48:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19800316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somehowunbroken/pseuds/somehowunbroken
Summary: JT wakes up with a stomach bug.Except it turns out that it's not actually a stomach bug at all.





	cradle me, i'll cradle you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [binchmarner](https://archiveofourown.org/users/binchmarner/gifts).



> Hi friend!! I was so happy to get you for this exchange. I hope you like the fic!
> 
> Thank you to L for beta reading this for me.
> 
>  **Emeto warning** for morning sickness.
> 
> Title is from Toothpaste Kisses.

JT wakes up with a stomach bug.

He's mostly just annoyed, honestly. He hates being sick, hates the shaky feeling it gives him and how useless it makes him feel. Here he is, though, bent over the toilet and retching the second he wakes up.

"Hey," he hears, and he turns his head to see Alexander frowning at him from the doorway. "I'm gonna call Coach and let him know you're not going to practice today."

"Thanks," JT rasps out. "Also, ew."

"Yeah," Alexander says, smiling briefly. "No offense, babe, but I'm gonna stay out here, okay? I don't think Coach would be thrilled if we were both sick for the same game."

JT nods. He leans his face against the bathtub, glad to have something cool and relatively clean nearby. "I'm gonna sleep it off," he says, closing his eyes. "I'll be fine later. Maybe tomorrow."

Alexander laughs quietly, and JT hears him walk into the bathroom. The tap turns on, and a moment later, there's a cool washcloth draped over the back of his neck and a hand in his hair. "Bed," Alexander says softly. "C'mon, JT. Do you need a hand up?"

JT opens his eyes and squints up at Alexander. "Thought you didn't want to get sick."

"I mean, I'd really prefer not to," Alexander says, smiling at him. "But that's a risk I'm willing to take. Don't tell Josty I'm this soft."

JT laughs and takes his hand, pulling himself up. "Thanks."

Alexander hugs him quickly. "Brush your teeth," he says, walking them backwards a few steps until they're in front of the sink. "I'll bring you some water and crackers for the nightstand if you're up to it later, okay?"

"Okay," JT says. He buries his face in Alexander's shoulder and breathes for a moment before pulling back. "Okay. Teeth, then bed."

"You can do it," Alexander says, grinning at him. "I'll be back, and then I'll call Coach on my way to practice, okay?"

"Love you," JT says. "Thanks."

"Love you too, babe," Alexander says, walking out of the bathroom.

He comes back in with a water and what looks like a full sleeve of saltines on a plate, and JT has to suppress a smile as he walks back towards their bed. Alexander sets his things down on the nightstand and turns to JT. "Need anything else? I can grab medicine on my way home later."

JT shrugs and flops into bed. "It's probably just a 24-hour thing," he says, rolling into a more comfortable position. "If I'm still sick tomorrow, I'll take some Pepto or something."

"If you're still sick tomorrow, I'll drive you to the doctor," Alexander says. "You sure you're okay?"

JT flaps a hand at him. "I'm fine. I'm going back to sleep, and when I get up, I'm magically going to be better."

Alexander laughs as JT closes his eyes. "The power of positive thinking. Colin's gonna be so proud of you."

"'s all I ever wanted in life," JT mumbles. He's actually surprised he's this tired; usually he has a lot of trouble getting back to sleep once he's up. Being sick sucks for so many reasons, he thinks, and then he drifts off.

\---

JT wakes up to the sound of the front door shutting. He blinks a few times; he feels a lot better than he had earlier, so he pushes himself up and sits against the headboard. The crackers sound like a good idea, so he grabs one and bites at it cautiously.

There's a soft knock at the door. "Hey," Josty calls. "Kerfy got stuck at the rink, something about his workout routine. He asked me to check in on you."

"I'm not throwing up anymore," JT says. "You can come in. I think I'm probably over it."

The door opens and Josty peeks in. "You sure?" he asks cautiously. "Kerf said it was nasty."

JT rolls his eyes. "I was puking, dude. Of course it was nasty."

"I don't want to puke," Josty says. "But if you're done, we can chill until Kerfy gets home, I guess."

"Don't strain yourself," JT says dryly. "I feel a lot better, though. I think it was just a one and done thing, honestly."

"Sweet," Josty says, pushing the door open and walking in. He swipes a few of the saltines from the nightstand and sits on the end of the bed. "I mean, if you're still sick, take the game off and get better, dude. We need you less against the Kings tomorrow than we do the Sharks on Wednesday."

JT snorts. "Yeah, tell me about it," he says dryly. "How was practice?"

"Oh, man," Josty says, tone delighted as he leans in. "So Nietsy has that new stick he's trying out, right?"

JT settles against the headboard, reaching for a few more saltines and the water. Between Nietsy's new stick and the ongoing Cale-and-Sammy dramady, there's a lot he missed today, apparently. Josty's a decent storyteller and an even better gossip, so it's easy to listen to him tell story after story.

He blinks when he reaches for more saltines and just hits the nightstand. "Huh," he says, glancing over. "I didn't realize I was that hungry."

"Your stomach was pretty empty," Josty says, shrugging. "You feel okay?"

"Yeah," JT says, "I'm actually still hungry. I must really be over it."

"Nice," Josty says approvingly. "You want to brave some real food?"

JT considers it, then nods. "I'll shower, and then maybe a sandwich," he decides.

"I'll let Kerf know," Josty says, pulling his phone out. "He can pick up Kneaders on the way home."

"Oh, hell yes," JT says, standing and heading for the bathroom. "Tell him I want—"

"The turkey, bacon, and avocado thing," Josty says, already texting. "If he doesn't already know that, dude, dump him and date me. I know _all_ your orders, baby."

"Wow, suddenly I'm gonna vomit again," JT says, keeping his voice as flat as he can manage as Josty laughs. He's grinning as he shuts the bathroom door and starts the water. Thank god for his immune system, he thinks as he pulls his sweaty clothes off and leaves them in a heap on the floor. He feels totally back to normal already.

\---

"Hey," Alexander says softly, rubbing at JT's neck. "I thought you were over this."

"I thought I was, too," JT rasps out. He closes his eyes and tries to breathe evenly. "I was fine all day yesterday, I swear. I just puked the once the day before that."

"Okay," Alexander says. "Maybe we should make a doctor's appointment?"

JT opens his eyes and makes a face at the toilet. "You're not gonna believe me if I say I already feel better, are you?"

Alexander laughs a little. "I mean, I think it's a thing that you generally feel better once your stomach is empty."

"I do, though," JT says, leaning against Alexander's thigh. "Like, I think I'm fine to go to practice."

"I don't know," Alexander says. He doesn't sound thrilled, but he does push his hand into JT's hair and scratch at his scalp. "What if you get sick again?"

JT shrugs. "Then I get sick again, but hopefully I make it off the ice first," he says. "I'll talk to the trainers and give them a heads up, okay? I'm gonna be fine for the game, and I don't want to miss it just because I ate a bad salad or something."

Alexander sighs. "I just hope you didn't, like, develop a new allergy or something," he says. "I guess as long as you talk to the trainers it should be fine."

JT smiles. "Thanks, babe."

"You need to shower, though," Alexander says. "That's the first test, probably. If you can shower, then you can probably get in the car, and then you can probably skate."

"That's a lot of variables, Mr. Economics," JT says, hiding his grin against Alexander's thigh.

"You knew that coming into this relationship," Alexander says, laughing at him. "Shower, change, car. Let's do this."

"Go team," JT says, pushing himself to his feet. He sets the shower to warm up, then grabs his toothbrush. "Can you get some more crackers out for me? I ate a ton of them safely last time."

"I will," Alexander promises. "Meet me downstairs when you're ready."

JT showers without issue; he honestly does feel fine after brushing his teeth. A little tired, maybe, but he's for sure gone to practice feeling shittier than he does now. By the time he gets dressed and makes it downstairs, he's more than ready to go.

"I put crackers in a baggie for you," Alexander says, holding them out. "I'll drive. Josty already agreed to sit in the back so you don't get carsick."

JT smiles, leaning in to press a kiss to Alexander's hair. "Thanks, babe."

"Don't puke in the car and we'll call it even," Alexander says, grinning back at him. 

"I'll do my best," JT says dryly. "Just for you."

"Guys," Josty hollers from the garage. "I know you love each other or whatever, but we need to get a move on."

Alexander snorts. "He's such a romantic."

"I can definitely see how he swept Gravy off his feet," JT replies, rolling his eyes. "We probably should get going, though. Traffic's gonna suck if we wait too much longer."

"Traffic's going to suck anyway," Alexander says, putting his hand in the small of JT's back and guiding him towards the garage. "It's 25 and it's light out. We're doomed."

JT opens the bag and pulls a saltine out, eyeing it for a moment before taking a bite. Just like last time, his body is totally fine with it, which is great. He climbs into the car and shoves a few more in his mouth, trying and mostly failing not to get crumbs everywhere.

"Dude, I'm not vacuuming," Josty says from the back. "Kerf, man, I _told_ you I wasn't the gross one."

"Just because JT is currently the gross one doesn't mean it wasn't you last time," Alexander says, getting into the driver's seat. "I saw you with the animal crackers, Josty. Don't even front."

"I ate them very neatly, thanks," Josty says, mock-offended as Alexander pulls the car out of the garage. "Maybe JT's been out here binge eating saltines. That sounds like something he'd do."

"Before this week, I hadn't had saltines in probably years," JT says. "It was definitely you. I saw you biting all the heads off before you ate the actual cracker."

"It's the only way to give them a quick death so they don't feel it when you eat the rest of the cracker," Josty says, as if it's a fact and not Josty being Josty.

Alexander snorts. "You sure do have a way with words, dude."

"Aw, you noticed," Josty says, grinning. "Whatever, man. I'm still not vacuuming. Comphy can vacuum this time."

JT rolls his eyes. "It's fine, I'll do it this time."

Josty punches his fist into the air. "Hell yeah!"

"Aw, don't give him what he wants, babe," Alexander says, grinning. "He'll get spoiled, and then he'll never do the dishes again."

"Do we want him doing dishes?" JT asks. "I mean, I don't think he pre-rinses the plates before he puts them in the dishwasher."

Josty makes a noise. "Uh, why would I wash them before I wash them?"

There's a moment of silence in the car, and then Josty cracks up. "Oh my god, chill. I rinse them off first. Kerfy, your _face_."

"I changed my mind," Alexander mutters, turning onto 25 and into a long line of traffic, as per usual. "JT, you don't have to vacuum this time. That's just Josty's job forever now."

"Hey!" Josty says indignantly, and JT grins and eats another cracker.

\---

Walking into the practice rink makes JT feel a little weird, but he takes a deep breath and heads for the locker room. He'll just put his shit in his stall, and then he'll check in with Socks before he even changes. Hopefully Socks gives him a thumbs up, he thinks as he follows Josty through the door to the locker room, and then he can—

"Hey," Alexander says, voice alarmed. His hands come up to hold JT's hips firmly. "JT?"

"Bathroom," JT grits out, turning around and dropping his bag to the ground. "Gotta—"

"Go, go," Alexander says, stepping out of his way. His eyes are wide and worried. "I'll get Socks."

JT nods and clenches his mouth shut, shoving past Gabe and Mikko and not even feeling bad about it, because he barely gets to the bathroom before he loses the saltines he'd been so happy about eating not ten minutes ago.

"Aw, buddy," someone says sympathetically, and JT closes his eyes and leans against Josty's side as Josty shoves into the stall with him. "Guess we gotta find you something that isn't saltines now, huh?"

JT groans. "Don't talk about food," he begs. "God, does the locker room always stink like that?"

"I mean, yeah, kinda," Josty says, rubbing at JT's back. "I guess with your stomach being out of whack, it just smelled worse today?"

"Yeah, I guess," JT says. 

"Hey, JT," Socks says from somewhere in the bathroom. His voice echoes a little weirdly. "You think you can make it back to my office? I've got a garbage can in there if you need it."

JT opens his eyes and stares blearily down at the toilet, then nods, face scratching against the coarse denim of Josty's jeans. "Yeah, I'm good," he says. "Your office, uh. Does it smell bad?"

"No worse than the bathroom does," Socks says, his voice even. "If you can't deal with the smell, we'll come back in here and block it off, okay?"

JT takes a deep breath and nods again. "Okay, I can do this."

"You can do this," Josty says, squeezing JT's shoulder. "I'm gonna back out and let Kerfy in here, okay, because he's the one with the whole 'in sickness and in health' thing."

"We're not married," Alexander says as Josty shifts. It's a back-and-forth they have all the time, Josty teasing them and both of them rolling their eyes at him, but Alexander sounds like he's just saying it on autopilot now. He's beside JT a moment later, though, bending over to look him in the face. "Hey, babe. You need a hand?"

"I need a toothbrush," JT mutters. "I hate being sick."

"I know," Alexander says, giving him half a smile. "I'll find you some mouthwash, okay? But you have to get up."

JT sighs and scoots a little, turning to face Alexander. Alexander puts his hands down so JT can take them, and when he tugs, JT stands. He wobbles a little, dropping his forehead to rest against Alexander's, and Alexander's hands go to his hips, steadying him.

"Do you want me to sit with you?" he asks softly. "While you're in with Socks?"

JT shakes his head. "Go to practice," he says. "No way I'm playing tomorrow. You need to be ready."

Alexander snorts. "Babe, you're more important than hockey. You know that, right?"

"I love you, and if we end up missing the playoffs because you don't play tomorrow I will kill you myself," JT says, smiling slightly. "If I change my mind I'll ask Socks to get you, okay?"

"Okay," Alexander says. He squeezes JT's hips in his hands, then lets go. "Okay. I'll go to practice."

"It's probably just food poisoning," JT adds, because seriously, what else could it be?

Alexander nods and gives him a brief smile. "We have a whole entire doctor who can tell you what it is and isn't," he says, nodding to Socks. "I'll see you after practice. And I promise that Josty and I will both shower extra well so the smell doesn't mess you up again."

"That's true love right there," JT says, stepping back. He's steady on his feet, and he doesn't feel the imminent urge to puke; heading to Socks' office now is probably a good idea, before his body decides to betray him again.

"You bet it is," Alexander says, and JT knows that there's more worry on his face than amusement right now, but the fact that he's making an effort makes JT feel warm.

\---

Socks is very matter-of-fact about things; it's something JT appreciates most of the time, because being eased into news about an injury doesn't actually help him. He needs the facts—the severity, the treatment options, how long he's going to be out of the game. It's why when Socks sits down across from JT an hour later, face drawn, JT grips the edge of the chair he's sitting in.

"Well," Socks says, adjusting his paperwork in front of him. "I'm not quite sure where to start here, JT."

JT's stomach lurches, and he glances at the garbage can, but he swallows hard and it passes. "Something's really wrong," he guesses.

Socks sighs and puts his paperwork down, looking directly at JT. "You're pregnant."

"I'm," JT echoes. He blinks a few times, but no, that for sure is what Socks said. "No?"

"Yes," Socks contradicts. He picks the papers up again and points to a squiggly line on a chart, way above another, less squiggly line. "This is your HCG level. The bottom line is your baseline level, and this is you today. There are only two things it means when the level is this elevated, JT, and it's either pregnancy or cancer."

"What," JT says, feeling faint.

Socks flips the page. "When it pinged high, I ran another test," he says. "Carriers produce another hormone during pregnancy that isn't produced at any other time." He's pointing at another squiggly line near the top of a chart. "There's quite a bit of it in your bloodstream. If we look at you vomiting as morning sickness and not food poisoning or anything else, it's further confirmation."

JT has never had a panic attack in his life, but he thinks that might be what's settling in right now. "Morning sickness," he repeats to himself. He looks down at his torso. "Are you—really sure?"

"I am," Socks says, and his voice is weirdly gentle. "You can get a second opinion from someone else, and in fact, I advise you to do just that. But I'm very sure, JT."

"I didn't," JT says, swallowing. He can't stop staring at the squiggly line. "I had no idea I was a carrier."

"Most people don't," Socks says. "And I want you to know that you have options, okay? You can make whatever decision you want, and we'll work with you on it."

JT squeezes his eyes shut. "Can you—I need to talk to Alexander."

"Of course," Socks says. JT hears him standing, and then Socks puts a comforting hand on JT's shoulder. "We're here for you, JT. Everyone has your back, no matter what you decide."

JT nods, but honestly, he's not thinking about anything that could constitute a _decision_ right now. He's holding onto the chair so tightly that he feels his knuckles straining, and he's trying to keep his breathing even, and he's trying to convince his stomach that there's nothing left in there worth trying to retch up. He opens his eyes and stares at the floor, mind racing. _Pregnant_. Holy shit.

Alexander comes rushing in a couple of minutes later, in full practice gear except for his helmet and, oddly, his skates. He crashes to the floor in front of JT, and his face is absolutely frantic. "JT? Socks wouldn't tell me what was going on, just that you needed me."

JT drops his head to rest against Alexander's, closing his eyes again. "I'm not sick," he manages.

"Okay," Alexander murmurs. His hands find JT's, and he holds on tightly. "What's going on? Babe, you're scaring me."

JT makes a noise that's somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "I'm, uh."

"I love you," Alexander says, and god, he sounds terrified, and JT can't get the words out. "Whatever it is, okay, we'll handle it."

JT nods, barely moving his head at all, and then he sits back. Socks' papers are still on the counter, and JT reaches out and grabs them, shuffling until he finds the two that Socks had shown him. "You, uh," he says, laying them both on his lap. "You know what these mean?"

Alexander looks down, and they're close enough together that JT can feel his breath catch. "You're," Alexander says slowly. He doesn't look up for a long moment, and when he does, his face is carefully neutral. "You're pregnant?"

"Yeah," JT whispers. "Apparently I'm a carrier."

"Holy shit," Alexander says. His face crumples, and he teeters forward to bury his face against JT's chest. "Babe, I thought you were _dying_ , oh my god."

JT wraps his arms around Alexander's shoulder. "No," he says. "I'm just—"

"Pregnant," Alexander fills in when JT can't get the word out. "That's—wow."

"Yeah," JT agrees. "It's a lot of wow."

Alexander pulls back and looks up at him, taking a deep, even breath. "Okay," he says, "Okay. I'm going to go shower and get changed, and then I'm telling Josty he needs to hitch a ride home with Gravy, and then we're going home."

JT relaxes slightly. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Alexander says firmly. "We can talk, or we can sleep, or we can do both. Or neither. Whatever you want, okay? We'll figure it out."

"Okay," JT says, and when he breathes in, it feels like his first real, solid breath since Socks broke the news. "Okay."

\---

The ride home is quiet; neither of them says anything as Alexander drives and JT fiddles around with the papers in the folder Socks had handed him. Alexander parks the car in the driveway and they both get out, trudging silently towards the front door. Alexander opens it and walks inside, and JT walks past him, kicking his shoes off in the general direction of the shoe rack and then just… standing there.

"Hey," Alexander says softly, putting a hand on JT's elbow. "Hey, sweetheart, look at me."

JT takes a deep breath, but he can feel himself trembling a little. "I," he says, then falters.

"Do you want to go upstairs?" Alexander asks. "We can lay down, or put a movie on, or—"

"I'm pregnant," JT says, and the words feel weird coming out of his mouth. It feels like he's lying, like he's pulling the world's worst practical joke on himself, except Socks would absolutely never do that.

"Yeah," Alexander says. "You are, babe, and we need to talk about it, but it doesn't have to be this second."

JT laughs, and something in his chest catches, and oh god, all the _hormones_. He's going to _cry_. "I'm pregnant," he says again, and somehow this time it feels more true. "Holy goddamn fucking shit."

Alexander takes his hand and squeezes it. "Couch?"

"Couch," JT agrees, letting Alexander lead him into the living room. He collapses into the couch and pulls Alexander down alongside him. He's not sure he has the ability to let go of him right now.

"Do you want to watch Netflix?" Alexander asks. "We can pull up _Nailed It_ and watch reruns."

JT takes a deep breath, holds it for a moment, and then lets it out. "Can we put it on in the background and then, like, talk?"

"Yeah," Alexander says, squeezing his hand. "Yeah, we can do that."

"Okay," JT says. He's not sure he's ready to talk, but he also knows that if he doesn't, it's just going to sit like lead in his stomach until he does. He already feels sick enough, and the sooner they talk this through, the sooner he can wrap his head around whatever they decide, and the sooner he'll start to calm down about it.

Alexander stays pressed against JT's side as he starts the PS4 and logs into Netflix. He plays _Nailed It_ from the beginning and turns the sound down, then picks up JT's hand and laces their fingers together. "So," he says.

JT nods. "So," he echoes. "Like. I need to ask you a question, I guess."

"Only one?" Alexander asks, and when JT looks over, he's grinning. "Ask away."

"Ignoring all of this," JT says, gesturing at nothing with his free hand. "Like, pretend today didn't happen, we don't know anything yet. Do you want kids?"

"Yes," Alexander says, instant and soft. "I—we hadn't talked about it yet, I know. When I brought up the idea of us being permanent last month, you kind of froze on me, so I figured I'd wait until you brought it up and we could talk about what that meant to both of us at that point."

"I do," JT says, swallowing hard. "Want kids, I mean."

Alexander's smile is brilliant. "Yeah? With me?"

"With you," JT confirms, smiling back. He's a little helpless to do anything else in the face of Alexander's happiness. "And I'm sorry I froze, and it's for a really fucking stupid reason."

Alexander laughs. "Oh, this I need to hear."

JT swallows past the lump in his throat. "It was, like, three days after I made Josty go shopping with me. To find a ring for you, I mean, and I thought you overheard, and I had it in my head that it was gonna be this big surprise—"

"You," Alexander cuts in, eyes wide. "You went ring shopping?"

"Yeah," JT says, nodding. "It's—I have it hidden upstairs. If that's something you want."

"If that's something I want," Alexander echoes. "You—JT, god, of _course_ that's something I want."

JT feels his smile growing on his face, and Alexander mirrors it right back at him. "Yeah? You want me to go get it?"

"Kind of," Alexander says, laughing. "It can wait, though. And I'm a sure thing, in case you were wondering."

"I figured," JT says, squeezing Alexander's hand. He wonders how it's going to feel with a ring on his finger, and his stomach twists in a good way when he realizes that he'll get to know soon. "Anyway, uh. That brings us to… the other thing."

"The other thing," Alexander echoes. He glances down towards JT's stomach, then back up at his face. He squeezes JT's hand again and takes a deep breath before speaking. "I want kids with you, but if you're not ready now, that's okay. It's your body and your choice, and I will never hold it against you."

JT's holding onto Alexander's hand so tightly that is has to be at least a little painful, but Alexander doesn't say anything about it. "Is it crazy if I want to do it?" he blurts out, looking down at his knees. "Now, I mean."

Alexander inhales sharply. "No," he says, voice cautious. "Are you sure?"

"I mean, that's a solid maybe," JT says. "But, like—I want this, you want this, and someday could be now, right? Now's a day."

"Now is a day," Alexander agrees, and when JT looks up at him, he's smiling so hard it looks like it has to hurt. "If you want to do this now, if you want to have this baby, I'm here. I'm in."

JT smiles back, and it feels absolutely crazy, but also like the surest decision he's ever made in his life. "Let's do it," he says. "Let's be dads."

"Let's be dads," Alexander agrees, and he's already leaning in when JT ducks his head down for a kiss, and it's almost maybe perfect.

\---

Josty comes into the house like a bat out of hell, already hollering as he flings the front door open. "Hey! Guys!"

"Here," Alexander calls out, raising his hand. They're back on the couch, and JT's finding out that yeah, he likes the way Alexander's hand feels with a ring on his finger, slim and sturdy and already warm from his skin.

"Hey," Josty says, and he actually sounds freaked out as he jogs in. JT feels guilty, suddenly; Josty's one of their best friends, and JT can only imagine what his reaction would've been if Josty and Gravy disappeared from practice at the same time and nobody would tell him why. "What's going on?"

"Hey," JT hears, and he turns to find Gravy closing the front door. "I, uh, drove Tyson home, but if this isn't something you want me here for, I can go."

JT looks at Alexander, who gives him a small smile and a shrug.

"Josty, hey, I'm okay," JT says, leaning forward. "Sit down, though? And Gravy, it's cool if you stay."

"Okay," Gravy says, walking into the living room. He puts an arm around Josty's shoulders and looks down at him, and it's easy to tell why he's the most-fined guy on the team, because his face just sort of melts into this adoring gaze as he looks at Josty. "Tys, let's sit, eh?"

"You're okay?" Josty asks, leaning into Gravy. "Like, really really?"

"Realy really," JT confirms. "Dude, sit."

Gravy rolls his eyes and takes a step backwards, tugging Josty with him towards the loveseat. They tumble into it together, and it's like watching water flow, the way they arrange themselves to fit against each other without even trying. "Okay," Gravy says. "So if you're okay, but you still had to leave practice…"

JT takes a deep breath. "So, uh," he says. "Josty, remember the super urgent top secret shopping trip from last month?"

Josty's eyes go wide. "No way, really?"

Alexander laughs and disentangles their fingers, then holds his hand up. "So I'm off the market," he says, leaning into JT's side.

"Holy shit," Josty says, beaming at him. "Aw, you guys. Congratulations."

"Congratulations," Gravy says, smiling at them and tugging Josty in so he can wipe his teary face against his shoulder. They're kind of perfect together, JT thinks fondly. "But I don't think you were throwing up from nerves, Comphy, and I'm sure Coach is happy for you guys, but…"

JT coughs. "I might be, like. Pregnant?"

There's a moment of silence, and then Josty bursts into tears.

"Whoa!" JT says, alarmed. "Hey, whoa, what—"

"Hey, hey," Gravy says, pulling Josty into his side and rocking him a little. He whispers something to Josty, who nods, and then Gravy looks up and smiles at JT and Alexander. "This is good crying. Congratulations, you guys. Wow."

Alexander laughs a little and reaches for JT's hand again, almost on autopilot. "Thanks," he says. "Also, thanks for getting us ready for the crying reaction, I guess."

"You guys," Josty says, hiccupping and wiping at his face. "Really? You're having a baby?"

"Really," JT confirms. "In, like… six months? Seven?"

"We have to see an actual doctor," Alexander adds. "Socks printed out a bunch of stuff, but he didn't give us an estimate, and we can really only tell so much from googling."

"Wow," Gravy says. "So, like, the end of the season?"

"Could be," JT says, nodding. "I texted Socks, and he's gonna send me a list of doctors in the area. We'll know more after we see whoever we pick, I guess."

"Can I go with you?" Josty blurts out. His eyes widen and he slaps a hand across his face. "Oh my god, I'm sorry, ignore me. My mouth just did that without my brain."

JT laughs. "Maybe not to the first one," he says. "But maybe some of the other ones? I don't know. We'll see."

"Oh my god," Gravy whispers. "They have 3D ultrasounds now. You'll be able to get, like, a real photo, almost."

"Oh my god," JT echoes, eyes going wide. He looks down at his stomach; he'd taken his shirt off earlier, and he and Alexander had agreed that he's definitely not showing yet, but he also knows that it probably won't be long.

"Oh my god," Josty repeats, and then he starts crying again.

"I thought I was supposed to be the emotional one," JT mutters, watching as Gravy pulls Josty back in.

Alexander shrugs and leans into JT's side. "I mean, are you surprised that he's the one with the feelings?"

JT laughs. "Well, when you put it like that, I guess it makes sense."

\---

The doctor they pick is barely older than they are, and she gives them a bright smile, a firm handshake, and a due date a little less than six months out.

"Oh my god," Alexander says when they get back in the car. "How did we miss your entire first trimester?"

JT stares down at his stomach. "Better question: if I hadn't started puking, how much longer would it have taken us to figure it out?"

"That's honestly terrifying to think about," Alexander says, starting the car. "Like, we're gonna be able to see if it's a boy or a girl in a month, and a week ago we had no idea."

"Is that something you want to do?" JT asks. "Find out, I mean."

Alexander's brow creases, more like he's thinking than anything else. "I don't know," he says after a moment. He pulls out of the parking spot, heading for the exit. "Part of me thinks it's a good idea, just so we can plan better, but part of me likes the idea of a surprise?"

JT nods. "I kind of like the surprise idea," he admits. "I mean, we can't change it and it's not like I'm gonna love them any differently if we know, so why spoil it?"

"Yeah, and I don't think doing the pink or blue thing is a good idea," Alexander says. "So it's not like we need to know."

"I vote we tell everyone we just want green and yellow shit," JT says, laughing. "Confuse the hell out of them."

Alexander snickers. "When they ask what we're having, we tell them a baby, and then act all confused when they ask more questions."

"Oh my god," JT says, laughing. "I can just picture it now. 'But how will we know if it's a boy or a girl if it's in green?' Like they can't fucking ask, or, like. We won't tell them when they're born, we'll just name them something gender neutral and then make them guess?"

Alexander starts laughing with him. "We just tell everyone we're waiting to decide on a name until they show us some personality," he says. "Except Colin would be totally into that, wouldn't he?"

"Oh, god, we can't give Colin any more ideas," JT says, covering his face and laughing. "I don't want to deal with the retaliation when it's him carrying, because he'll mean it."

"You really think Nate would let him?" Alexander asks.

"I think Nate's whipped," JT says, raising an eyebrow. "And I think Nate would be extra whipped if they decided to have a kid."

"Yeah, point," Alexander says.

They drive in silence for a little while. JT has no idea what Alexander's thinking about; his own mind is wandering, remembering the baby-shaped blob the technician had shown him and the thumb drive he'd tucked into his wallet with some photos and a video that lets them hear the baby's heartbeat on it.

"Hey," Alexander says as they turn onto their street. "Do you have any name ideas? Anything you ever thought would be a cool thing to name a kid?"

JT shrugs. "Not really," he admits. "I guess I sort of thought I'd name a kid after my grandparents, but I'm not super married to the idea."

"We could," Alexander says. "I'm not against it."

"Can we, like, random generate lists of baby names?" JT asks. "We can go through them, obviously, but I feel like if I have to come up with a list, it's going to be short and full of people we know."

"We are not naming our baby after Josty," Alexander says instantly.

JT laughs. "Holy shit, no way," he agrees, still smiling. "We _could_ name him Ryan, though. That'd piss Josty off until the day he died."

"How about we don't piss off your best friend," Alexander says, amused.

JT shrugs. "He told me he and Gravy were gonna get a dog and name it Morgan, after the best Compher," he says. "I think he'd deserve it."

"Okay, one, if he names a dog after your sister that's kind of weirdly insulting," Alexander says as he pulls into the driveway. "And two, rude, he should name it after your mom, if that's his angle."

"I mean, clearly," JT says. "Also, three, where the fuck is he gonna keep a dog? Not with us, that's for damn sure, and Gravy's place doesn't allow pets."

Alexander's nose wrinkles. "Huh."

"Huh what?" JT asks, unbuckling his seatbelt. "That's a whole face you're making there for a _huh_."

"Just, like," Alexander says, frowning slightly. "We're gonna have to move, aren't we?"

JT opens his mouth and then closes it again, studying the house. "I mean," he says slowly. "I don't know."

"Well, I don't think trying to raise a kid in a house we're sharing with Josty is a good idea," Alexander says. "I love him like a brother, but he loves Gravy decidedly not like a brother. And, uh, loudly."

JT snorts. "You're not wrong," he agrees. "Also, like. We should have a yard, I think. Kids should have a yard."

"A swingset," Alexander says. "Somewhere to run around."

"Those plastic corner things you put on the counters," JT says. "No way a kid of ours isn't going to be going full speed into everything."

Alexander laughs. "A room with padding on the walls," he suggests. "So they can bounce around."

"One of those baby chairs with the wheels, for when they're learning to walk," JT says. "Except it's all covered in bubble wrap."

Alexander's still laughing, open and fond, and it creases up his whole face with the force of it. "Hey," JT says, helpless against the smile on his face.

"What?" Alexander asks, smiling back at him.

JT leans across the console and kisses him. "That," he says, sitting back.

Alexander's smile is softer but no less bright. "Yeah," he says. "That right back at you."

\---

The doctor recommends that JT stop playing pretty quickly; apparently there's no real chance he hurt the baby through the first part of the pregnancy, but he's already almost at the point where he should stop doing stressful things with his body, and the season's only going to get tougher as time moves on. He's kind of grumpy about it, but also the thought of moving wrong and hurting the baby makes him panic hard enough that he throws up again, so all in all, stopping is definitely for the best.

"So, uh," JT says, three days after he and Alexander got the news. JT wanted to make the announcement in the locker room, but he has no desire to deal with the smell again, so the team is gathered kind of awkwardly in the hallway of the practice rink instead. "I'm on LTIR until I have a baby."

It's quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and then EJ ventures, "Is that, like, soon, or…"

"Oh my god, Erik, you can't just _ask_ that," Gabe groans. "Congratulations, guys."

"Wait," Mikko says, eyes big. "You're having _baby_?"

"It better be a baby, or I have some serious questions," Nate says, breaking away from the group to pull JT into a hug. "Congrats, dude."

The rest of the team gets their shit together enough to congratulate them, which is nice, even if EJ does ask for specifics about the due date. He frowns a little when he realizes that JT's going to miss the rest of the season, but then brightens almost immediately. "You guys," he says, loud enough that the general chatter that had popped up disappears. "He's due in May. You know what that means, right?"

"If we win," Sammy says, his whole face lighting up. "Then you can have photos of the baby—"

Cale slaps a hand over his mouth. "Don't say it!"

Sammy nods vigorously, and JT has to bite back a laugh. Whatever they need as extra motivation, or whatever.

"We still want you at practices," Coach tells him when the team at large heads for the ice. Alexander will have to join them soon, but he's still here next to JT for now, because he knows JT's been nervous about what Coach was going to say. "You're part of this team, Compher, and you know hockey. As long as the smell isn't too much, I'd like to have you come and watch. Give us your insights, that kind of thing."

"Unofficial assistant coach," Alexander says, squeezing JT's hand.

"But you can sit in the box for games," Coach adds. "Better there than risk you getting hit if something goes haywire."

JT can feel his face going pale, and Alexander doesn't look much better. "Yeah," he agrees. "Let's go with that."

He's behind the bench for a few practices to see how it goes; Coach actually listens to his suggestions, which makes Z and Barbs both squint at him. but JT does know what he's talking about. He's not sure bossing around hockey players is how he wants to spend his life after hockey, but he's glad that he can still be useful to the team even if he's not playing.

It's surprisingly easy to settle into the flow of things, once he's officially put on LTIR and the news breaks. The public reaction is about fifty-fifty, which is honestly better than JT was hoping for; he's seen guys get roasted for getting hurt before, and he was kind of expecting the same. It's nice, he thinks as he settles into the press box next to Gravy. People aren't the worst _all_ the time.

"Hey," Gravy greets, giving him an easy smile. "How's it going with Peanut?"

JT snorts. "If you think Alexander's ever going to forgive you for nicknaming our kid after something he's allergic to, think again," he says.

Gravy smiles wider. "If you think I didn't do that on purpose, _you_ think again."

"Nah, I figured you did," JT says, laughing. "How's the apartment hunt going?"

Gravy's smile goes soft. "I think we found a place," he says, glancing down at the ice. They're way too far away for it to be clear who he's looking at, but JT knows he's following Josty through his warmup. "We're going to look again tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure we found it."

"Awesome, man," JT says, smiling. "You gonna get a dog?"

"Yeah, I think so," Gravy says, laughing. "I promise not to let Tys name it after any of your family members."

"You're a hero," JT says dryly. He shifts in his seat; it's weird how knowing that he's growing an actual baby means he's aware of it, but the past few days it's felt like every position is the wrong position.

"Everything okay?" Gravy asks, leaning over slightly. He's a giant human shield and he's not afraid to use it, which is great; most of the press people have been good about giving him some privacy, but there have been some assholes, too.

"Yeah, just," JT says, frowning as he moves again. "I don't know. It feels weird."

"Weird like bad, or weird like weird?" Gravy asks.

"Just weird," JT says. "It's like my stomach won't settle."

Gravy bites his lip. "Do you think," he says, glancing down at JT's stomach. "Is she moving?"

JT's mouth falls open, and he can feel his eyes go wide. "Holy shit," he says, looking at his barely-there bump. "I—maybe?"

"What does it feel like?" Gravy asks, scooting his folding chair closer. "I was reading online, and the article said it was like ginger ale bubbles, or like gas."

JT snorts. "I mean, it could definitely be that," he says. He puts his hand on his stomach and concentrates. The weird feeling continues, and when JT thinks about it, it could definitely be a ginger ale kind of feeling. "Hey, baby, are you kicking me or whatever?"

Gravy smiles and pulls his phone out. "I'm gonna record this," he says. "So Kerfy can see it later, the first time you realized you were feeling her move."

"It still might just be gas," JT points out, but he's grinning as Gravy starts to laugh.

\---

The weirdest part about starting to really show isn't needing stretchy clothes, or the way Josty keeps asking if he can touch the bump, or even the way it makes people in the grocery store offer to get things off of high shelves for him. No, JT decides. The weirdest thing about starting to show is that even though he feels awkward and weird, Alexander literally never stops looking at him like he's a work of art.

"Okay, what gives," he asks after a week of catching Alexander staring at him nonstop. He's got his hands on his hips, which makes his shirt pull kind of weirdly, and Alexander's face flushes as his gaze drops to the bump.

"You're, uh," Alexander says, and JT can see him swallowing hard. He looks back up. "You look good."

JT snorts. "Yeah, sure, pull the other one."

"No, like," Alexander says. His cheeks are going red. "You look… really good, JT."

"Really?" JT asks, dropping his hands to his sides. He gestures at himself. "You're seriously into this?"

"You're surprised by that?" Alexander counters, taking a step forward. "It's not like it's a huge secret that I'm into you, and you're having our _kid_. I'm incredibly into everything about you."

JT feels his cheeks going red. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh," Alexander says, reaching out for him, a small smile on his face. He rests his hand on JT's hip. "If you're up for it, I'll show you how into you I am."

JT glances down at his stomach, which is big enough now that they can't press close together without feeling it between them. "I mean, I think everyone knows that at this point. I'm growing the proof."

"JT," Alexander says, voice soft. "You can always say no, but I want you to know I'm saying yes, okay? I love you, and I'm not gonna stop wanting you."

"I'm saying yes," JT says quickly. His face is going to catch on fire, maybe. "If you mean it."

Alexander smiles and leans up to kiss him. "Of course I mean it."

"In that case," JT says, "holy shit, I have no idea why, but I go from zero to sixty in, like, four seconds now."

Alexander's eyes go dark. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," JT says. It's true, too; he'd been completely incredulous about the possibility of sex not even a minute earlier, and now he's ready to peel out of his clothes in the living room. "It's like a light switch."

"Then we should go upstairs," Alexander says, taking JT's hand and starting to walk.

They make quick work of the walk upstairs; there are times that JT misses having Josty around, but right now he's glad that Josty and Gravy have their own place, because it means that he can pull his shirt off on the walk to the bedroom without fear of retaliation. It makes Alexander suck in a sharp breath when he glances back over his shoulder, but JT resists the urge to cover his stomach and grins instead.

Alexander laughs. "Get in here," he orders, yanking his shirt off and tossing it to the floor. "I want to blow you."

JT groans, glad that he's wearing his paternity pants, because they're made to be comfortable in all situations. He'd definitely be uncomfortable if he got this hard in jeans, that's for sure. "That sounds good."

"Awesome," Alexander replies. He reaches a hand out towards JT. "C'mere."

JT takes his hand, smiling as Alexander pulls him in. "Hi."

"Hi," Alexander replies. "Come here often?"

"Oh, come on, you're really gonna set me up for the easy one?" JT asks, laughing.

"You want to be the easy one?" Alexander shoots back. "I mean, go ahead, babe. I'm not going to stop you."

JT groans. "There was no way for me to win that one, was there?"

"I mean, I'm still gonna blow you, so I don't think you actually lose anything," Alexander points out. "Unless you changed your mind."

JT steps back and pushes his pants and boxers down. There's no graceful way to get out of them, so he sits on the edge of the bed and bends over to yank them off before looking up at Alexander. "I haven't changed my mind," he says. "But, like. If you have—"

"No, not even a little bit," Alexander says. He crosses the room in three quick steps, sinking to his knees in front of JT. He looks awed, almost, glancing from JT's stomach to his face and back again. He smiles a little crookedly. "Are you gonna get weird about if I tell you how good you look right now?"

JT takes a slow, even breath, because it's the only thing that keeps him from saying the first thing that pops into his head, which is absolutely a deflection. "I mean," he says quietly. "You can."

Alexander grabs JT's hand and squeezes it. "You're stunning," he says, nothing but honesty in his voice. "I just—I look at you and I see our future, right here, you and me and this baby. We're gonna get married, and we have a bid in on that house in Westminster, and—I love you so much, and I feel like the words aren't strong enough for how I really feel."

"Oh my god," JT says, trying not to get choked up and failing completely. He squeezes Alexander's hand. "Fuck, I love you."

"I love you too," Alexander says, turning his face to press a kiss to the inside of JT's knee. He laughs a little. "And I still want to blow you."

JT's laugh is a little shaky. "That still sounds good to me."

"Oh, good," Alexander says. "Are you comfortable? We can move if—"

"This is good," JT says. "If your knees are okay."

Alexander hums. "Can I just suck your dick now?"

"Okay, okay," JT says, laughing. "If you really— _oh_ my god."

Alexander's mouth is warm and wet and tight around him, and JT absolutely wasn't kidding earlier when he'd said that he's sort of like a light switch right now. It's not like they haven't had sex since they found out about the baby, but JT knows that he's been shutting Alexander down when he's tried to start things in the past couple of weeks. It's weird, all the ways his body is changing, and yeah, he's kind of self conscious about it. His body is definitely into the way Alexander is moving his head now, though, and JT makes the command decision to enjoy it.

"God," he says, putting his hand in Alexander's hair. It's getting long, and JT hasn't really made a secret out of how he likes that. "That's so good, holy shit."

Alexander hums, and JT's hips move before he can stop himself. "Sorry, sorry," JT says, gripping at the sheets beneath him. "Shit, babe, I'm sorry."

Alexander pulls off and takes a deep breath. "Just go for it," he says, voice raspy. "Whatever you need to get there, okay?"

"Jesus," JT chokes out as Alexander leans back in. He goes down farther than he had been before, and _fuck_ , JT sure as hell isn't going to stop wanting this, not if Alexander will keep giving it to him. He moves his hips, tentative at first, but he builds up a rhythm quickly, thrusting into Alexander's mouth shallow and fast.

"I'm gonna," JT says, and it could be three minutes or thirty, he has no idea. "Babe, I'm—"

Alexander hums deliberately, and JT's back arches as he comes.

"Fuck," he says, panting for breath as Alexander swallows and swallows around him. "Okay, enough, please—"

"God," Alexander says as he pulls back. He leans his head against JT's knee, and it takes JT a moment to realize that he's jerking himself off, hard and quick and with nothing like finesse. JT opens his mouth to offer a hand, but before he can get a word out Alexander pulls in a shuddering breath and slumps against him.

All JT can really do is run his fingers through Alexander's hair. "Well," he says, when Alexander's breathing starts to return to normal. "That was, uh."

"Worth a repeat performance?" Alexander asks, and he looks up and grins when JT vigorously nods his head.

\---

JT has absolutely no idea why he's actually surprised right now. Alexander's been acting squirrely for three solid days, and he made JT get up and go shopping with him even though JT had grumbled about his feet swelling. He's been pretty good about letting JT just kind of sit around and not do much when he feels like it now that they're in the new house, but somehow his insistence this time didn't tip JT off to anything, which is annoying, because—

"Surprise," the entire team yells as he opens the front door. Josty's beaming at him from right inside the door, a party hat with cartoon babies all over it strapped to his head.

JT stares at him for a few seconds, steps backwards out of the house, and pulls the door shut behind him.

"You," he says, turning to Alexander, who's laughing at him. "You could've warned me!"

"The whole point of this is that you didn't know," Alexander points out, but he's still grinning, the asshole. "Look, Josty wanted to do something nice for you. I told him to keep it tame, and I made him coordinate with your mom, so there shouldn't be anything too terrible happening."

JT blinks. "Wait, my mom was in on this? I talked to her yesterday!"

"And your sisters, and I think maybe your grandma," Alexander confirms. "Your dad said to have fun, but opted out of the party planning."

"Yeah, I bet," JT replies, grinning at the thought of his dad trying to plan a baby shower. He sighs. "Well, shit, I guess I have to go in, huh?"

"You don't have to," Alexander says. "We can make Josty open everything and put it away for us, and then just come back to a house ready for the baby."

"Tempting," JT muses. "But that'll come with at least a decade's worth of guilt, I think."

"Oh, I think you're underestimating the guilt by five years," Alexander says. "Up to you."

Josty opens the door a crack and peeks out. "Hey, uh," he says. "EJ's starting a betting pool for whether or not you're going to run away from your own house, and I think Grubi might go nuclear if we don't let him at least show you the cake he got before you go, so…"

JT cracks a grin. "Oh my god," he says. "Fine, I'm coming in. You better have saved my recliner for me." Comfort is a thing of the past; the most he can hope for is the baby not using his insides as a trampoline, and they're more likely to cooperate if he puts his legs up.

Josty gives him a truly offended look as he pulls the door open all the way. "As if I'd let anyone sit in your recliner," he says. "That's my niece's favourite place in the world right now."

"Then I guess I can come to the party," JT says. "Since I can sit."

"Oh, good," Josty says, beaming at him. He turns back towards the group of suspiciously quiet hockey players. "He's staying! If anybody sat in his seat, get the fuck out of it now, or—"

"Nobody's in it, stop threatening to show us the birthing video again," Calvert yells. "I don't think Nietsy's gonna make it through another showing, man."

"We are all in this together," Josty says as JT walks by him. "We're a team, so deal with it."

JT rolls his eyes and walks towards the recliner, which is thankfully free of both hockey players and decorations. Both things are wildly untrue for the rest of the living room; there are teammates everywhere, and JT's pretty sure he's never seen this many baby-themed decorations in the same place in his entire life.

"Oh, hey, guest of honour," Colin says, smiling at him from the couch. He and Nate are holding hands, which is cute, but given the way they've both been asking him pointed questions about carrying lately, JT sort of wonders if they're just biding their time before they make their own announcement.

JT gestures around. "I'm guessing you're the one who made Josty keep the training wheels on? Other than my mom, I mean."

"Nothing's going to pop out of anything else," Colin confirms.

"I mean, other than the obvious," Cale adds from the couch, snickering when it makes EJ choke on whatever it is he's eating.

JT snorts. "Okay, somebody get me a sandwich and a gift to open," he says. "Let's see what you assholes got us."

\---

JT's not sure who originally found the Pinterest board with gender-neutral baby ideas on it, but Barbs had dropped it into the group chat a month earlier, and everyone had immediately formed opinions on literally everything in it. It's the team's way of showing they give a shit, and honestly, JT was kind of touched that Kammy and Burky had immediately started bickering about the best colour for the nursery walls. It was Frankie's idea that they choose different colours for each wall, and Naz and Pebbles had shown up with paint rollers about half an hour after Alexander sent a photo of the paint cans to the group chat. It's finished now, and the crib is assembled and there's a dresser and closet both full of terrifyingly small baby clothes and the rocking chair works great.

"Think he's gonna like it?" Alexander asks, wrapping his arms around JT's waist and clasping them over his stomach as he hooks his chin over JT's shoulder.

JT rests his hand on top of Alexander's. "You're not gonna be able to do that for much longer."

"I'm getting it in while I can," Alexander says, and JT can hear the smile in his voice. "What do you think? Any last touches we need to add before she gets here?"

"Maybe fewer Avs things," JT says dryly. "I feel like the guys don't actually understand that we don't want our kid to be the team mascot every single day."

"We probably have enough merch to make it work until she's at least a year old," Alexander says. "Baby Av."

JT shakes his head a little. "Did I tell you I got an email from the guy who wears the Bernie costume on the weekends? He wants to know if we have enough Bernie stuff, not just player stuff. I'm pretty sure he's gonna coordinate with PR to get photos of Bernie holding the baby Av wearing Bernie stuff."

Alexander laughs. "As long as they keep his face out of it, I'm fine with that."

"You know what's gonna be weird?" JT asks, leaning back against Alexander a little. "The baby being born and you all of a sudden only using one set of pronouns."

"Maybe I'll keep it up," Alexander says. "It's not like we're gonna know right away if they identify as whatever parts they're born with."

JT grins. "You also like the idea of trolling everyone forever, don't even lie."

"Wow, it's like you know me or something," Alexander says, laughing. "Can you even _imagine_ the look on Gabe's face if we just outright refuse to tell him a gender?"

"Forget Gabe's face, think of _Coach_ ," JT says. "I think that vein in his forehead might actually burst."

Alexander laughs again and presses a kiss to JT's cheek before sliding his hands to JT's hips. He holds on as he steps back, and they've talked about how JT doesn't necessarily need help keeping his balance, but he'd seen the look of utter panic in Alexander's eyes the one time he'd tripped and almost gone over. If there's one thing pregnancy has taught him, it's to pick and choose his battles, which his mom keeps telling him is something he's going to need once the kid starts talking, anyway.

"Hey," Alexander says. "So I got you something."

JT turns around, raising an eyebrow. "We don't have enough things already?"

"She's got plenty of stuff," Alexander says, waving at the nursery. "I got something for _you_."

"Aw, but my birthday's not for three more weeks," JT says, but he takes Alexander's hand and follows him down the hallway into their bedroom. He beelines for the bed, because carrying around the baby weight is starting to get incredibly tiring.

Alexander goes into the closet. "Yeah, but you'll get use out of it now," he says, voice a little muffled by the clothes. He emerges a moment later, and JT's eyes light up.

"I love you," he says delightedly, reaching out.

"Are you talking to me or to your new pillow?" Alexander asks, but he's grinning.

"Both," JT says. "It can be both, right?"

"It can be both," Alexander says. "Here, lean up."

The pillow is big and sturdy, with long arms that are the perfect height to rest his arms on; JT leans back against it and can't help his satisfied sigh. Part of him can't believe Alexander remembered his offhand comment about wanting a pillow like this, but mostly he can't believe he managed to find one that didn't look like it was made for someone much, much smaller. "Where'd you even get this?"

Alexander's face goes a telling shade of pink. "Oh, around," he says.

JT narrows his eyes. "Around where? Target's are all kid-sized."

"I might've asked a few people, and they might've put me in touch with someone who makes custom stuff," Alexander admits. "Also, sort of related, the woman who made it said she can also do the cushions we want for the breakfast nook when we get around to it."

"You had someone make me a pillow," JT says slowly. "A really comfortable pillow that I mentioned wanting once, like, six weeks ago."

"Yes?" Alexander says, voice cautious.

"You're the best person in the world," JT decides. "Come cuddle me and my new pillow. We're all gonna get super close, I think."

Alexander's expression melts into a smile. "Of course," he says, walking to the bed and climbing in next to JT. "I always want to be close to you."

"Sap," JT says, but he's adjusting his position so he can stay in his pillow nest and still hug his fiancé, so he thinks Alexander probably knows he doesn't mean it in a bad way.

\---

"Why is pregnancy so terrible?" JT asks, grimacing as he scoots to the side, trying to unstick himself from everything he's touching. He's been through practices where he sweats less than he does overnight now; the doctor assured him that it's normal, but JT's glad that he's going to have the baby before summer truly hits. He can't imagine going through this when it's actually hot out.

"I'm sorry, babe," Alexander says groggily. He wakes up every time JT does these days; it's kind of hell on both of them, and JT feels bad about it, but the one time he'd tried to sleep in the guest room so Alexander could get a good night's rest, he'd woken up in a bed about half the size of theirs to find Alexander trying to quietly climb in with him. He'd given the idea up pretty quickly after that. At least it's almost comfortable in their bed.

JT tries to settle, but there's faint gray light coming in through the curtains, and the longer he stares at it the less he feels like he's actually going to fall back to sleep. Alexander's already snoring lightly; he's off today, but Game Five against the Stars is tomorrow, and the second round has been brutal. At least they have home ice advantage this year, JT thinks as he starts the process of making his way out of bed.

He's really glad they found a house with a master bedroom on the first floor; he and stairs are more or less mortal enemies right now, so not having to deal with them as he makes his way towards breakfast is kind of awesome. The baby starts waking up as he's spreading jam on his toast, and he rubs soothingly at his stomach as he sits at the table and shoves the toast into his mouth.

The toast drops right to the floor, jam side down, when his stomach does something _awful_.

"Whoa," he says hoarsely, bending over to try to relieve the pain. He breathes through it, wincing, and then he just keeps breathing for a minute after it recedes. He glances at his stomach. "You have another two weeks in there, kiddo. We have a whole bunch of dates set up for you and everything."

The doctor had talked with them about options for a delivery date; she's pretty accommodating, which is awesome, because when they'd asked about moving things around when they knew about playoff schedules, she hadn't hesitated to agree. JT's feeling pretty confident that the Avs are making it to the conference finals this year, so he's grateful that they'll be able to make it work with whatever Alexander's schedule is going to be at that time.

It takes a while, but JT manages to get the toast and most of the jam off the floor; he calls it good enough when he can't actually see jam anymore, even though he's going to have to ask Alexander to wipe it again later so it doesn't get sticky. He's past the point where bending over to Clorox-wipe something off the floor is an option. 

He's wondering whether it's worth it to make more toast or if he should just suck it up and have a protein smoothie when the pain comes again. This time he's standing, and he gasps and holds onto the edge of the counter, trying to remember what the doctor had said. Braxton Hicks, she'd told him, except he's had those for a solid month and this is more, this is worse and more painful and—

And he's maybe in labour, he realizes distantly as he breathes through the last of it, even though he's supposed to deliver the first week of May and it's still the middle of April.

"Well," he says to his stomach, carefully standing all the way up. "Clearly you didn't get your other dad's patience. Sorry, kiddo."

JT walks carefully back down the hallway, one hand on the wall and the other on his stomach. "Hey," he calls when he gets to the bedroom door. "Hey, Alexander."

"Huh?" Alexander says, turning over in the bed to squint at him. "Wha' time is it?"

"I don't know, maybe seven," JT says. "So I think I'm in labour."

It's almost funny, the way Alexander freezes completely before sitting bolt upright. "What? Are you sure?"

"I mean, not a hundred percent," JT says. "Pretty sure, but not completely sure."

"She's not due for two more weeks," Alexander says. He swings his feet over the side of the bed and stands, stretching, and JT envies the way he gets his back to pop effortlessly.

JT gestures at his stomach. "I said the same thing, but I don't think they're listening."

"Figures," Alexander says, walking over to JT. He puts both hands lightly on JT's stomach and leans up to kiss him good morning. "Should we call the doctor?"

"Probably," JT says. "We've got the bags packed and stuff, right?"

Alexander nods. "Already in the car, just in case… this happened, I guess," he says. He's smiling. "Why am I not even nervous?"

"Probably because you're not the one who's about to have major surgery," JT says, rolling his eyes. He grabs Alexander's hand and squeezes it. "This is about to happen, huh?"

"Pretty sure it is," Alexander says, and his smile is so bright it would hurt to look at if JT hadn't seen it almost every day since they found out about the baby.

Besides, he knows he's smiling back just as brightly.

\---

Jordan Parker Compher-Kerfoot is six pounds, two ounces, nineteen and a half inches long, and JT cries when they lay the baby on his chest.

"Oh my god," Alexander chokes out, his hand resting lightly on top of JT's, right on Jordan's back. "He's—babe, he's so _tiny_."

"He's so little," JT says, and he's crying and he doesn't care, because Jordan's making little wheezy crying sounds right back at him, eyes squeezed shut and fists clenched and little legs tucked up against his chest. "I thought he'd be bigger."

"He is a little early," Alexander says softly. "He probably would've been a little bigger, if he'd waited."

JT laughs a little, and Jordan blinks his eyes open, startled. "Hi, buddy," JT whispers. "I'm your dad."

Jordan whines, but the squeaky little crying noises have mostly faded. JT watches, entranced, as his eyelids droop, and then he's holding his sleeping baby.

"Can I," Alexander asks. "Can I hold him for a little bit?"

"Yes," the doctor says, peering over at them. "Actually, Nichole, can you help them transfer? We need to finish up here, and then we'll get you into a recovery room."

One of the nurses steps up and gives Alexander a smile. "Hold your arms like this," she instructs, folding his arms in front of him quickly, and then she scoops Jordan up off of JT's chest and places him into Alexander's arms. He's got an absolutely awestruck expression on his face, and JT can tell he's only barely not crying as he stares down at Jordan, which is a very relatable feeling in JT's book.

"Okay, JT," the doctor says. "You still shouldn't be feeling much of anything, so this shouldn't hurt, but let me know if it does."

"Sure," JT says. He knows the surgery scars will hurt like crazy once he's off the painkillers and starts the healing process, but he doesn't feel much right now, so he's free to keep watching as Alexander gently rocks Jordan in his arms.

"Hey, hey," Alexander murmurs, and JT hears Jordan whine again. "I'm your other dad. You know my voice, right?"

Jordan turns his head and whines directly against Alexander's chest.

"Oh," Alexander says, and he's crying now, smile wide on his face. "Wow, okay. You do know me, huh?"

"He'd better," JT says. "You talked to him enough while he was still inside."

"I mean, of course I did," Alexander says, not looking away from Jordan's face. "That way he knows both of his dads."

"Dads," JT says, and he doesn't laugh incredulously because the doctor's still working down there and he doesn't want to jostle anything, but— "We're _dads_ now."

"We are," Alexander says, glancing up at him, and if JT thought his smile earlier was brilliant, well, it's nothing compared to the look he gets now.

\---

Jordan likes the noise-cancelling headphones they get so JT can bring him to games, by which JT means that he likes gnawing on them and absolutely hates wearing them.

"I know, buddy," JT says, fitting them over Jordan's ears even though he's whining about it. "But Daddy's playing in Game Seven of the Cup Final tonight, okay, so we need to go watch him kick the Flyers' butts."

Jordan does his best to stick his whole fist into his mouth.

"No, we're not gonna eat the Flyers, we don't know where they've been," JT says as he picks Jordan up. He's mostly got the hang of the day-to-day stuff: diapers, food, transferring him from the crib to the bassinet to the floor. He's slow, sure, but he's healing pretty well from the C-section, and Jordan's usually easy to calm down with food. He likes listening to JT and Alexander talk, and he has slobbered right through seven of Josty's shirts so far. In other words, he's perfect.

"Hey, babe," Alexander says from the doorway. JT turns around, and Alexander smiles at them. "I'm heading to the rink. Kiss for luck?"

"Like you need luck," JT says even as he's walking over and leaning in. He kisses Alexander briefly, then steps back so Alexander can lean down and press a soft kiss to Jordan's forehead. "You've been playing like absolute fire for two straight series now."

Alexander snorts. "If I hear Mikko suggest that Nate and Colin plan for next spring to 'harness the dad power' one more time…"

"You know they'll plan it to the day themselves," JT says, amused. "Hey."

"Hm?" Alexander asks, pushing his hand through his hair.

"No matter what happens, I'm so fucking proud of you," JT says. He only knows how to be this honest when it's blunt; it's probably a character flaw, but at least he's aware of it. "Win it or don't. It doesn't matter in the long run."

Alexander's expression is soft and open as he leans in to kiss JT. "Love you."

"I mean, obviously win it, though," JT mumbles against his lips. "If that wasn't clear."

Alexander snorts. " _That's_ the man I'm gonna marry," he says, stepping back and glancing at his watch. "I have to get on the road. You'll be there?"

"We'll be there," JT promises. "Emily's gonna have, like, twenty people escorting me everywhere, I think."

"You have fun with that," Alexander says, grinning as he backs out of the room and heads towards the garage.

JT looks down at Jordan, who has taken the opportunity to go to sleep. JT smiles. "Yeah," he says softly. "We'll have a blast."

\---

One of Emily's PR interns appears at JT's elbow during the first commercial break in the third period. The Avs are up 2-0, and JT's not going to think it yet, but there's only fourteen minutes left in the game. "Uh," the kid says, glancing at where Jordan is sitting nestled comfortably in Gravy's arms. He's awake and alert, and JT knows he can't actually see all the way down to the ice yet, but he's staring that direction anyway. "I'm supposed to have you guys come downstairs?"

Gravy's smile is huge. "Yeah, okay," he says, standing up. It's hilarious to see someone so gigantic holding a baby so small, but JT's kind of gotten used to it. It's been a huge help; it sucks that Gravy still isn't playing much, but he's taken to being JT's shadow and default Jordan transportation system with more grace than JT knows what to do with, frankly.

They stand and follow the intern out of the box; the kid takes them to the elevator, which is nice, because JT is in no way ready to face that many stairs in a reasonable amount of time. He's doing great with his recovery, sure, but Jordan's five weeks old and JT can still very much tell exactly how he was born.

"Oh, hey," Gravy says. "Peanut's hungry, Dad."

"How hungry?" JT asks, turning to see Gravy holding Jordan a little bit away from his chest, and a small wet spot on his shirt. "Aw, hell. Sorry."

Gravy shrugs. "He's got good instincts."

The elevator dings and they walk out, heading back towards the training room. The intern points them down the hall towards the ice, which is probably where Emily's waiting, but he pauses. "Uh, do you," he says, glancing at Jordan. "I can heat a bottle up, if he needs it?"

"That is so not in your job description," JT says, raising an eyebrow as he reaches into the diaper bag that's pretty much permanently slung over his shoulder. "I can—"

"No, it's totally fine," the kid says, and he's smiling at Jordan, who's making a face at him now. He glances up at JT. "I have a nephew a couple months older than him. I know what I'm doing, and this way you don't miss the game."

JT hands the bottle over. "I missed your name, sorry."

"Adam," he says. "Emily's over by the ice. I'll bring it over there in a minute, if you want to go watch."

"Thanks, Adam," JT says, making a mental note to tell Emily to write him a _really_ good reference letter.

"No problem," Adam says, turning and walking down the hallway.

"No offense, but take your kid," Gravy says, and JT snickers and does. Gravy grins, but he arranges his shirt kind of carefully and buttons his jacket back up; it hides the worst of the spot Jordan had chewed up, at least.

"Now let's go see our boys do something amazing," JT says, and Gravy smiles brightly and heads towards the ice.

\---

It's nothing like he ever imagined it would be.

When the buzzer sounds, when the game is over and the fans are screaming loud enough to shake the whole Pepsi Center, when the confetti starts raining down because the Avs just _won the Stanley Cup on home ice_ , JT is standing with Jordan in his arms, feeding him a bottle, watching from behind the glass.

And honestly? It's better than anything he could've imagined, anyway.

\---

They open the zamboni door and start to roll out the carpet for the families to join the players on the ice, but before they get there Josty skids to a stop, spraying snow everywhere. He opens his mouth and just—screams, honestly, jumping at Gravy like he's not a fully grown man in all of his hockey gear. Gravy goes down like a rock in a river, Josty on top of him, and they're both laughing their asses off.

JT thinks he might never stop smiling, honestly; he also thinks he's incredibly justified in this at the moment. He wants to get out there, to find Alexander and kiss him in front of Coach and Bettman and the world, he wants—

"Hey," Josty says. He and Gravy have finally gotten off the ground, but Gravy's suit jacket is probably a loss. JT highly doubts either one of them gives a shit. "Let's get you and Peanut out there, eh?"

JT laughs. "They're working on it," he says, nodding at the people who are for some reason having trouble figuring out how carpet rolls work. "I'll get out there eventually."

"My dude," Josty says patiently. He steps onto the ice and holds out his arm. "C'mon, let's go."

It's so incredibly Josty, effortlessly thoughtful and ridiculously sweet. "Yeah, sure," JT says, stepping carefully onto the ice. "Here we go, buddy. This is ice."

Jordan whacks JT in the chest, so JT figures he's probably enjoying himself.

They make their way carefully across the ice; there's plenty of carpet set out in front of the table that the Cup had been on, and JT figures that's where Josty is aiming them. He's brought up a little short, though, because Alexander emerges out of the crowd of their teammates, and he's got—he's holding—

Josty laughs. "Okay, you've got this," he says, and he steps back.

Alexander slows to a stop in front of JT. "Hey," he says, breathless and giddy and absolutely the most beautiful thing JT has ever seen. He sets the Cup down on the ice in front of him. "Trade you."

"Like I can bend down to get it," JT says, but he's laughing as he leans forward, listening to the crowd and their team and the whole goddamn city of Denver roar as he kisses Alexander.

Alexander laughs. "Okay, how about," he says, and he pulls back so he can lean down and lift the Cup up over his head. He's grinning so hard, and he leans in again, kissing JT with the Cup up above their heads and Jordan between them, grabbing at Alexander's jersey and shrieking loudly, and it's perfect, everything's perfect.

"Here," Josty says when they break apart, and he's got his phone out, pointed directly at them. He shoves it somewhere into his jersey that JT doesn't even want to think about, and then he holds his hands out. "Baby me."

JT snorts, but he hands Jordan over, and then he takes a deep breath. Alexander lowers the Cup a little, and 35 pounds is more than JT's supposed to be lifting yet, but he puts his arms up and grips it tightly. They lower it down together, and JT's lips brush the side of the Cup before they lift it up together again.

"Holy shit," JT says, grinning at Alexander. "Oh my god."

Alexander laughs. "Well, you told me to win it."

JT's going to smile for the next three months straight. "I did."

\---

The reception is more or less winding down; JT isn't sure who he has to thank for the Cup being present at his wedding, but he definitely knows it's Colin's fault that it's currently full of pudding. He doesn't want to hear the reasoning, and he's definitely not eating it, but Colin's very proud of himself, and that's honestly enough.

"Hey," Alexander says, and JT looks up. He's got Jordan on one hip, and he's swaying slightly to the music that's still coming from where the band is playing inside. Jordan has his clip-on tie shoved into his mouth; JT read somewhere that babies don't start shoving things into their mouths full-time until they start crawling, but Jordan's way ahead of the curve on that one.

"Hey," JT replies, smiling. "What's up?"

"We were just looking for you," Alexander says, walking over to him. "Grandma finally tapped out and said she was going back to the hotel."

"Oh no, not that," JT says, reaching out for Jordan. "What's he gonna do without Grandma time?"

"I mean, there's a whole line of aunties and uncles just waiting to give him whatever he wants," Alexander says. He pulls Jordan's tie out of his mouth, and Jordan makes a disgruntled noise and reaches for JT's instead. JT hastily picks Jordan's slobbery tie up and puts it back into his hand, and Jordan happily starts chewing on it again. JT glances up, and he and Alexander share an amused look. They've gotten pretty good at it in the past handful of months.

"And Josty," JT adds, maybe a beat too late, but Alexander's still smiling at him.

"And Josty," he agrees. "We've got quite a family, huh?"

JT can't help but smile and lean in to kiss his husband, their son happily eating his clothing between them, hours after the wedding with some awful rap song that's probably Naz's fault spilling from the reception hall's open windows. "Yeah," he says, his smile wide. "We sure do."

**Author's Note:**

> JT's reaction to his baby shower is pulled from real life. I only ever tried to throw a surprise party for someone once in my life, and when we yelled surprise my friend shrieked, slammed the door, and ran halfway down the street before I could catch up with him. Turns out that not everybody's into surprises!


End file.
